Recently the US government has announced that 12 billion in funds will be used to “modernize Puerto Rico’s grid” with special attention to “their local economy”, and complete with a promise of 100% renewable sources by 2050.

Previously, due to provisions in disaster relief funding, they had said that they would only repair the existing coal and petroleum based grid and not allow funds to be used for any changes or upgrades.

They also promise that somehow this “modern” grid magically won’t go down with the next weather event or earthquake.

So this is a win, right? Not so fast. Let’s take a look at a different way for a moment. There are 1.44 million households in PR. A 1500 watt solar and wind hybrid energy system complete with battery and inverter is available on Amazon for $2000 retail. This is enough to power any home less than 1200 square feet, even if they aren’t insulated. So for only about $3 billion, every single home can have their own individual “100% renewable” power system that can’t be interrupted due to a weather event or earthquake. That’s based on retail and not bulk pricing. For another $2 billion, every single house can be insulated, assuming none are currently, reducing the energy needs. For another $1 billion, each household can be provided with a heat pump, assuming none have air conditioning or heating currently. So for a total of $6 billion, half of what the grid would cost, every single home in PR can be retrofitted to be energy efficient and use 100% renewable energy. Tomorrow, not by 2050.

Let’s assume we can do the same for commerce and industry with the remaining $6 billion. Hell, even if it costs $20 billion, wouldn’t that be better than another stupid grid?